[takato14]

Quote:

Impressions of the Bargain Priced "Squish Tips"
 
Ok, So a few days ago I posted a question about some tips I found on Amazon US called “Squish Tips”. Since there were quite a few replies, I thought I would let people know my impressions after a few hours of listening.
 
Just a little about my music preferences, I would not consider myself an audiophile by any means, but I own/have owned several decent headphones ranging from a Grados, V-Modas, etc, but have never owned an IEMs over $30.
 
Thanks in part to reading this tread several months back, I instantly fell in love with the 8320 and have since given several pairs to friends as gifts to help people improve their iPod listening experience. As for listening preferences, I enjoy a competent bass signature, but not a fan of “enhanced” bass. Coupled with the excellent highs and mids the 8320 produce, I also enjoy their neutral bass signature. I tend to use my 8320's for listening to Rock and Jazz and they do an excellent job, even if I had paid $30.
 
Enter the Squish Tips,,,,With Shipping, they ended up being around $6 for a set of three pairs and they came in separately wrapped plastic bags and installed with little effort. They are made of a super-soft foam, which reminds me of memory foam. As you can see from the pictures, their build quality is a bit sloppy and looked like they came right out of the injection mold without any quality check. Nothing to worry about, but worth mentioning.



 
When I did my comparison I used my iPod 7th Gen and the Fiio E7 as my source.
 
In all honesty, after using the Squish Tips, I was a bit disappointed. I never thought I would bring up “Soundstage” when talking about IEMs, but I found that the Squishy Tips created the sensation of channeling the sound directly into my ear (which to many might be the whole point of using foam tips) but as for me, I did not like the sensation it created. It became very fatiguing after only a half hour of listening.
 
One theory I had was that because these foam tips are too soft, they lack the firmness to keep their shape inside the ear.  After installed, there is a few millimeters of foam at the sound tubes end (my word) that could potentially compress within the ear.   I worried that the circular port between the driver and inner ear possibly closes up or becomes contorted inside my ear canal.   Since I cant see whats going on inside my ear, I can't know for sure.
 

 
 
Additionally, regardless of how I placed them in my ear, the Squish Tips created an immediate reduction in bass signature and the highs become somewhat raspy and I definitely felt I lost some definition with highs and mids.
 
In closing, IMO, the benefit of headphone listening is the “critical listening” aspect you can experience with some high quality CD/MP3s and a decent DAC. In the end, I feel I lost a lot of this "benefit" and made an honest mistake and I definitely prefer the stock tips. (even if they don't always stay in) 
 
In full disclosure, I have never tried any other foam tips such as the Complys, so my impressions are only about the Squish Tips and not foam tips in general.  
 
I could spend the money for the Comply Tips, but I think I am going to quit while I am still ahead.  

 
Peace

Wow, glad I didn't get those... almost grabbed a pair a few minutes ago... Better luck next time, my friend, thanks for the info!

 

[cpnfantstk]

I find the 8320s bass on the light side also unless I do some EQing then it comes out nicely.Overall these IEMs are worth way more their asking price. They sound very detailed but maybe a little sterile(lack warmth) . I feel instrument separation is quite good . The vocals were harsh at first and have smoothed out after some burn in time. Not very comfortable but considering the sound and price, I will let that pass.  I find that my Ksc75 give a more fuller sound but are not as detailed. I like the bass of the KSC75s a bit more. Hard to decide which one is better. They are both great but different SS. Both are worth 30.00 a piece in terms of the SQ they produce based on my stash of budget headfi to compare them too. 

 

[EventVista]

Quote:

Wow, glad I didn't get those... almost grabbed a pair a few minutes ago... Better luck next time, my friend, thanks for the info!

Glad I was able to help,  It felt kind of weird writing a "review" on something that cost $3.88 but probably actually costs 10 cents to produce.  In the end, if it saves someone from going through all the aggravation it was worth it. 

 

[EventVista]

Quote:

I find that my Ksc75 give a more fuller sound but are not as detailed. I like the bass of the KSC75s a bit more. Hard to decide which one is better. They are both great but different SS. Both are worth 30.00 a piece in terms of the SQ they produce based on my stash of budget headfi to compare them too. 

 I also have the KSC75 and tend to agree with you.   I love the sound, but KSC75 is also great for outdoor activities like mowing the lawn, sports, etc.  They stay on the ear very well and unlike the 8320, do not easily pop-out of your ear (with stock tips)

 

[cpnfantstk]

Quote:

 I also have the KSC75 and tend to agree with you.   I love the sound, but KSC75 is also great for outdoor activities like mowing the lawn, sports, etc.  They stay on the ear very well and unlike the 8320, do not easily pop-out of your ear (with stock tips)

I usually wear the KSC75s at home and no where else. Dorky looking. Superb otherwise.

 

[JonnyRocket]

in your opinion what sound sig are the s4s?
i always thought they were very flat and neutral---> so i've been told. 
may i ask where did you get those meelectronic double flange tips? somewhere cheap perhaps? i live in canada

http://www.meelec.com/MEElectronics_Eartips_p/ts6-cmb-35-bk.htm

This pack is $7 off their website. I think the double flange tips work the best. As fad as the S4 goes, from what I can remember the bass is boosted on those. The wide soundstage is what really shines on these things. These are bass nutral IMO, but the bass does not extend too far down. This is the "Thump" I believe you are missing. To me the bass is clean and not boomy and doesn't bleed into the midrange like a lot of other bass heavy buds do. Being able to hear the diffetent positioning of instruments in a lot of tracks i listen to made up for the lack of bass I heard. These also EQ very well for a 7.11 earphone.

 

[Tom22]

just a fun question but how much would you realistic put a price on the 8320s? accounting for everything sound, comfort, cable, (but disregarding the packaging and the lack of tips it came with)
 
like for me comparing to the klipsch s49 i got for  $119 canadian at furture shop with warranty, i would say a good 60-70 at least

 

[H20Fidelity]

Try using a tight fitting silicone tip. Sony hybrids instead. The problem with complys is they let too much air and these earphones need a tight fit in your ear vs letting any air in at all. I recently tried out my Complys for another earphone the Sony XB90EX which are Bass monsters and what you know. Almost no bass using comply tips. The sound was not even close to using silicones..

If you re-read my post I was using Hybrid tips.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/580769/the-monoprice-8320-mep-933-the-7-11-club/2625#post_8772061

Anyway, I've put them away for now. Without being cocky, I have other gear I use fulltime such as TF10, GR07, EX600 etc......

What I was hearing I think is fine for someone starting out and I can understand others experienced members see what 8320 offers.

They won't be replacing anything here to soon. (remembering they could be one of the faulty tinny pairs floating around we've heard about)

 

[JonnyRocket]

Impressions of the Bargain Priced "Squish Tips"

Ok, So a few days ago I posted a question about some tips I found on Amazon US called “Squish Tips”. Since there were quite a few replies, I thought I would let people know my impressions after a few hours of listening.

Just a little about my music preferences, I would not consider myself an audiophile by any means, but I own/have owned several decent headphones ranging from a Grados, V-Modas, etc, but have never owned an IEMs over $30.

Thanks in part to reading this tread several months back, I instantly fell in love with the 8320 and have since given several pairs to friends as gifts to help people improve their iPod listening experience. As for listening preferences, I enjoy a competent bass signature, but not a fan of “enhanced” bass. Coupled with the excellent highs and mids the 8320 produce, I also enjoy their neutral bass signature. I tend to use my 8320's for listening to Rock and Jazz and they do an excellent job, even if I had paid $30.

Enter the Squish Tips,,,,With Shipping, they ended up being around $6 for a set of three pairs and they came in separately wrapped plastic bags and installed with little effort. They are made of a super-soft foam, which reminds me of memory foam. As you can see from the pictures, their build quality is a bit sloppy and looked like they came right out of the injection mold without any quality check. Nothing to worry about, but worth mentioning.




When I did my comparison I used my iPod 7th Gen and the Fiio E7 as my source.

In all honesty, after using the Squish Tips, I was a bit disappointed. I never thought I would bring up “Soundstage” when talking about IEMs, but I found that the Squishy Tips created the sensation of channeling the sound directly into my ear (which to many might be the whole point of using foam tips) but as for me, I did not like the sensation it created. It became very fatiguing after only a half hour of listening.

One theory I had was that because these foam tips are too soft, they lack the firmness to keep their shape inside the ear.  After installed, there is a few millimeters of foam at the sound tubes end (my word) that could potentially compress within the ear.   I worried that the circular port between the driver and inner ear possibly closes up or becomes contorted inside my ear canal.   Since I cant see whats going on inside my ear, I can't know for sure.




Additionally, regardless of how I placed them in my ear, the Squish Tips created an immediate reduction in bass signature and the highs become somewhat raspy and I definitely felt I lost some definition with highs and mids.

In closing, IMO, the benefit of headphone listening is the “critical listening” aspect you can experience with some high quality CD/MP3s and a decent DAC. In the end, I feel I lost a lot of this "benefit" and made an honest mistake and I definitely prefer the stock tips. (even if they don't always stay in) 

In full disclosure, I have never tried any other foam tips such as the Complys, so my impressions are only about the Squish Tips and not foam tips in general.  

I could spend the money for the Comply Tips, but I think I am going to quit while I am still ahead.  

Peace

Are these tips anchored to the earphones by the foam itself or is if plastic like the Comply tips?

 

[EventVista]

Quote:

Are these tips anchored to the earphones by the foam itself or is if plastic like the Comply tips?

 
Glad you mentioned this as I meant to talk about this.   If I understand your question, no there is no inner plastic cylinder, they are 100% foam.

 

 

[takato14]

Quote:

Quote:

 I also have the KSC75 and tend to agree with you.   I love the sound, but KSC75 is also great for outdoor activities like mowing the lawn, sports, etc.  They stay on the ear very well and unlike the 8320, do not easily pop-out of your ear (with stock tips)

I usually wear the KSC75s at home and no where else. Dorky looking. Superb otherwise.

Who cares? I wear my SE-500s out all the time. They look like I have a pair of wings coming off my head.

 

[JonnyRocket]

Glad you mentioned this as I meant to talk about this.   If I understand your question, no there is no inner plastic cylinder, they are 100% foam.


 

Hmm... maby this accounts for the bad sound quality

 

[Tsirist]

Do the Comply S, T, and TX-series tips fit with these? Would that be considered an upgrade over the stock tips? I found the stocks weren't perfect but worked well enough. Not sure if I should go for anything fancier.

 

[129207]

Well I tried these with a huge amount of tips now, olives, Comply's, biflange, triflange, Sony's and NONE of them change the sound from mediocre to good. I really don't understand what the fuss is about. Very flat, no dynamics, nasal, no warmth or decent bass. I mean, they're not bad for $8 IEMs but I wouldn't pay much more for them. I'm really curious as to how some people in here seem to go totally bananas over them. I wonder what they are comparing them to. Maybe they have special ears.  
 
I've compared them to Brainwavz M1, M2, ProAlpha and Beta, Hifiman RE0, Fischer Audio Evolution, Superlux HD381 and Teufel Fidelity. 

 

[miow]

lol